Berlain



(No Model.)

G. A CHAMBERLAIN.

UAR COUPLING.

No. 315,908. Patented Apr. 14, 1885 FIGA.

UNTTED STATES PATENT @rricng COURTLAND A. CHAMBERLAIN, OF CANTON, NEW YORK.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 315,908, dated April 1a, 1885.

Application filed February 20, 1885. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GOURTLAND A. CHAM- BERLAIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ganton,in the county of St. Lawrence and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Freight-Gar-Goupling Apparatus, of which the following is such a full, clear,

and exact description as will enable any one skilledin the art to which my invention appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to certain improvements in freight-car-coupling apparatus of that kind in which the coupling arms or links automatically engage when the cars equipped therewith are brought into contact; and the design of my invention is to provide cars in general, and freight-cars in particular, with such simple yet efficient means for locking securely and positively together all the cars of a train as shall do away the difficulties attendant upon the complicated and intricate means heretofore employed, while at the same time securing automatic engagement whenever the cars are en train and automatic disengagement whenever the cars are derailed.

A further object of my invention is to produce a coupler that shall be easily and inexpensively made, and one that can be quickly and cheaply applied to the ordinary freightcar now in use, and not one that calls for a special construction of car or such practical reorganization as amounts to making a new car. These objects I attain by the mechan ism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the improved coupling attached to one car and ready to be secured to an adjoining one of a train. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same,both cars being shown, the lifting-lever being attached. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view showing the box or chair, and Fig; 4 a detail view of a modified form of the couplinglink.

Similar letters refer to similar parts through out the several views.

To the ordinary box or freight car, A, at each end, I secure, by means hereinafter pointed out, a seat or chair, B, ordinarily made of metal,of substantially the following construction: From the broad solid base or seat piece, b, three flanges, I) b If, arise at substantially right angles each to the other and to the seatlpiece and integral therewith, forming altogether a single bearing or box, open at its forward end and upon its upper face. The two opposite side flanges, b b", of the chair are each provided with a j ournalbearing, I). That portion of the bottom flange, 12 adjacent to the side flange, b, as well as the side flange itself, is produced to nearly,if not quite,twice the length of the remaining portion of the bottom flange adjacent to the side flange,b ,as well as the side flange itself, for a purpose that will hereinafter be explained. Seated within this chair, and pivoted by a suitabie horizontal pin or bolt, 0, passing through bearings 13* in the flanges thereof, is the coupling link or arm 0. This link or arm is a plain bar of metal provided with two lateral lugs or projections, 0 0, produced from the same side and at opposite ends thereof, as shown in the several figures of the drawings. The lug c is made broad and strong, and perforated laterally to provide a journal box or bearing, 0 to receive the pin or bolt by which the link or arm is pivoted within the chair. To adapt the link for vertical play upon its axis within its seat, the lug is rounded upon the end of the link. It is manifest that it would be an equivalent construction to provide the link with a rigid pin or gudgeon to work in slotted boxes provided within the flanges of the chair; but I do not prefer such construction.

The forward lug, c, of the coupling-link G is of peculiar construction, to adapt the-same for its function in the act of coupling. It projects laterally from the bar only about onehalf as far as the rear or bearing lug, o for a purpose to be presently explained. Upon the front or meeting end of the lug are two faces an upper and a lower one-inclined from each other and meeting in a horizontal knifeedge in the same plane that passes through the journal box or bearing 0 of the hearing or pivot lug c on the other end of the link. The particular angle of inclination of these faces to each other is not material, so that the same secures the least resistance in the act of coming together. I have found in practice that an angle of about forty-five degrees secures good results.

To secure increased efficiency in the action of the coupler, as when the same come together at an angle and not in the same plane, I provide that theknife-edge above describedshall itself liein different planes-that is to say, in inclinedplanes that are perpendicular to the aforesaid plane in which the knife-edge is found, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the meeting angle of two planes falling upon the point in the horizontal knife-edge where the inside face of the bar, if produced, would cut the same. Thus, it will appear, the front or contact face of the forward lug of the couplinglink is provided with two horizontal inclined 7 facesone upper and one lower-and each of these faces is composed of two inclined faces, whose knife-edge is in a plane at right angles to the plane of the aforesaid horizontal knifeedge, making by this construction, as it were, the front or contact face of the forward lug of the coupling-link to present the exact form of the apex of a four-sided pyramid, the four edges of which coincide with the four knifeedges of the contact-face of the coupling-link.

The value of this construction, taken in I connection with the vertical vibration of the coupling-link on its horizontal axis, is apparent at a glance, for no matter at what angle the front or contact face of the coupling-link presents itself to the face of its fellow there can be no possibility of their coming squarely together. They must pass each other, and

that by the line of least resistanceto wit,

that made by an inclined plane. Thus under no circumstances can they batter up or break.

tion of the train, which in most coupling de-- vices are so disastrous, are an instrumentality of great service, drawing, as they do, thelinks continually into closer contact nor does the lateral motion of the cars cause any objectionable binding, the angle of inclination is so slight. w 1

The coupling-link is now seated in its chair,

with its straight side resting upon the prolonged bearing therein. The chair is then attached to each end of the car by means of two strong connecting-rods, D D, (shown in dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 2,) screw-threaded upon each end. These ends of the rods are passed through the perforations 12 provided in each end of the base-plate of the chair, and thus securely hold the same by means of a nut firmly turned home. Thus the coupler-chair is immovably clamped against the sills or frametimbers of the end of the car at any desired point, and yet are readily detachable by the simple removal of the holding-nuts.

coming together at any angle, upon the most uneven track, cannot fail to couple themselves by reason of the plurality of the knifeedges upon the contact-face of the couplinglinks. One or the other must pass below its fellow, in either event securing the engagement of the rear clutching-surfaces. The

plane of the vertical knifeedge coinciding with the plane of the inner face of the link produced forces the two links, when they meet, to the outermost limits permitted by their elongated bearing-surfaces. They cannot therefore sway in upon each other, and thus fail to drop into engagement in consequence of the engaging lug of one link riding upon the side bar of its opposing fellow. The "chair holds them each to its engagement when once a car carrying its coupler comes into contact with another carrying a like coupler.

Provision is not made for the removal of any of the ordinary coupling attachments of the common freight-car. On the contrary, the

ordinary bumpers or draw-heads, or some equivalent means therefor, must be provided to meet and sustain the shock of contacting cars. One such is shown in the ordinary position upon the car in Fig. 1, and lettered E.

To disengage the coupling-links, when it is desired to uncouple a car from the train,'alever, F, is provided, having depending therefrom a chain or link, G, secured in any conveniient manner to the coupling-link O, whereby the same is adapted to be swung upon its axis, and thus be lifted from its engagement. The lever F is rigidly secured to the rock-shaft H, which in turn is mounted in transverse bearings against the end of the car at a convenient distance from the roof or the ground, as may be preferred. In order that the rock-shaft may be operated without danger to the brakeman, it is provided at one end with axlever, I, projecting both above and below for manipulation either from the ground or the roof. The other end of the rock-shaft is provided with a handle, J, projecting downward only in order that a train-man on the ground upon the opposite side may lift the coupling-link without passing between the cars. Other devices may, however, be employed for this purpose; but as I do not limit myself to the means shown for. disengaging the couplinglinks, any equivalent means therefor would fall within the scope of my invention.

The jerk and strain experienced in operating freight-cars with the draw-irons ordinarily used are Wholly removed by the device herein described, consisting in equipping the common wooden or box cars with the system of Y connecting-rods and chairs and coupling-links.

IOO

IIO

The strain is entirely brought upon a single line or chain especially provided therefor throughout the entire train, and not distributed through the timbers and frame-work of the several cars composing the train.

By reason of the single plane-faced broad engaging surfaces of the coupling link I am enabled to secure most important results, chief among which is the adaptability of the couplers to engage when not upon the same actual horizontal plane. It is well known that a loaded freight-car carries its couplers much lower by reason of its load than an empty car which may be adjacent thereto. This difference in level operates to prevent most couplers from effective use; but with the coupler herein described the ordinary difierence in level between an empty and full car is without effect in impairing its ability to make complete engagement.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. The improved car-coupling link or arm herein described, the same consisting of an arm provided with an axial hearing at one end, and at the other or forward end with a front contacting surface and a rear engaging surface, the said front contacting sur face comprising a plurality of inclined faces meeting in knife edges essentially at right angles to each other, one of which said knife edges lies in the planepassing through the said axial bearing aforesaid, as set forth.

2. Ina car-coupling apparatus, the combination of the chair adapted to be secured to the end of a car,and provided with side and bottom bearing-flanges, and with a pivot pin or bolt, with the coupling link or arm having an axial bearing in its rear end and at its forward end 0 a front contacting surface and a rear engaging surface, the said front contacting surface comprising an upper and a lower inclined face meeting in a knife-edge lying in the plane which passes through the axial bearingafore- 5 said.

3. In a car-coupling apparatus, the combination of the car provided with the longitudinal binding and draft rods projecting from each end thereof with the chairs having means 50 to secure the same to the rods, the coupling links or arms pivoted horizontally therein, and having gravity-operating knife-edged conv tacting and engaging faces, and the bumpers or stops, as set forth.

4. In a car-coupling apparatus, the combinati0n,with the horizontally-pivoted gravity operating coupling links or arms, of the link lifting device described, the same comprising the lever F and the chain G, the rock-shaft o H, provided at each end with arms or handles I and J whereby the cars are adapted to be uncoupled either from the roof or from the ground at either side of the train without necessity to the operator of passing between the 65 cars.

COURTLAND A. CHAMBERLAIN. Witnesses:

WORTH CHAMBERLAIN, BURTON COX. 

